Beading machine



Nov. 6, 1962 A. T. L. AUSTlNG ETAL 3,062,263

BEADING MACHINE 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 17, 1959 INVENTORS AUGUS'TIf/[ODORfiLESTER/40311416 KARL eon/yam BY p U AGE-N7 Nov- 6, 196 A. T. L. AUSTING ETAL 3,062,263

BEADING MACHINE 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 1'7, 1959 Nov. 6, 1962 A. 'r. AUSTING ETAL 3, 3

BEADING MACHINE Filed Aug. 17, 1959 w w 5 #4 i /7/ 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 Nov. 6, 1962 A. T. L. AUSTING ETAL 3,062,263

BEADING MACHINE Filed Aug. 17, 1959 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Nov- 6, 1962 A. T. L. AUSTING ETAL 3,062,263

BEADING MACHINE Filed Au 17, 1959 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTORS A0608! 71100019: zzs'rx Anny/v6 Unite 3,952,263 Patented Nov. 6, 1962 ice 3,062,263 READING MACIHNE August Theodore Lester Austing and Karl Bofinger. Cinelnnati, Ohio, assignors to American Can Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Aug. 17, 1959, Ser. No. 834,283 8 Claims. (Cl. 153-9) The present invention relates to can body beading machines and has particular reference to a beading machine provided with a single large beading drum which is disposed radially inwardly of the bodies being beaded and rotates in a direction counter to the direction of rotation of the body carrying units.

The present tendency in the reduce the thickness of the material from which the can bodies are made. In order to do this, it is necessary that the thinner can bodies be reinforced in order to prevent their collapse when they are subjected to vacuum or handled in a rough manner.

The usual way of reinforcing such can bodies is to provide them with a plurality of spaced circumferential strengthening beads or corrugations which are indented into the bodies in order that they do not interfere with the labels which are subsequently applied. These beads are usually formed in a beading machine which is inserted into the can manufacturing line and which receives the can bodies directly from the can body side seam soldering machine. However, can line operating speeds have increased rapidly in the industry and ditficulty has been encountered in providing beading machines which are capable of satisfactorily forming beads at the high speeds at which the lines are run.

The present invention provides a beading machine which is so constructed that it is capable of operating at high speeds and which forms the beads gently and gradually so that the metal of the body is not subjected to unduly severe working. This is done by utilizing a multi-pocket can carrying turret to revolve the cans around a large cylindrical beading drum which rotates in a direction counter to the direction of rotation of the turret. The drum is provided with bead forming instrumentalities, which may be either grooves or ribs, which cooperate with complementary beading instrumentalities carried by beading rolls which are inserted into the can bodies and are cammed radially inwardly to press the bodies against the beading drum. The beading drum is rotated in a direction counter to the direction of rotation of the can carrying turret, and the beading rolls are rotated in a direction counter to the rotation of the drum and at the same circumferential speed. This results in the bodies being rapidly spun or rotated on their own axes as they are gradually cammed inwardly against the beading drum, and in a consequent great increase in the length of rolling contact between the bodies and the beading instrumentalities which makes it possible to start the beads as shallow indentations and progressively deepen them until their ultimate desired depth is obtained, the whole beading operation taking place in a very short time but without severe working of the body material.

The cams which force the beading rolls inwardly are adjustably mounted in the machine so that the rate of formation and ultimate depth of the beads can be accurately controlled, and are positioned around the outside of the beading turret so that necessary adjustments can be easily and conveniently made.

An object of the invention therefore is the provision of a can body beading machine wherein the beading operation is gently effected in a comparatively short time without undue stress to the metal of the bodies.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a can beading machine wherein a single rotating beading can making industry is to 2 drum is utilized in conjunction with a multi-pocket body carrying turret, the beading drum normally requiring no adjustments.

A further object is the provision of a can body beading machine wherein the beading drum is rotated counter to the direction of movement of the can bodies in order to rapidly spin the bodies, so that the length of rolling contact between the bodies and the drum is greatly in creased, thereby making it possible to progressively deepen the beads in each body by a small increment during each rotation of the body on its own axis and thus minimize the severity of the bead forming operation.

-A still further object is the provision of such a machine wherein each pocket is provided with a set of cam actuated beading rolls which cooperate with the beading drum to form the beads, the beading rolls being controlled by a single set of adjustable cams so that individual adjustment of the beading rolls in each pocket is not required.

Another object is the provision of such cams which are mounted around the periphery of the beading machine so that they are easily accessible for adjustment.

Yet another object of the invention is the provision of a can body beading machine wherein the beading cams are composed of a plurality of individually adjustable, spring loaded segments, each of which contacts only a single cam roller at one time so that momentary deflection of the segment by the side seam of a can body will not affect the beading action on an adjacent can body.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description, which, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of the can body beading machine of the instant invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section taken substantially along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a vertical section, on an enlarged scale, taken substantially along the line 33 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of one of the ring plates and the rollers which are carried thereon and which comprise pockets which carry the can bodies through the machine, certain parts being omitted for the sake of simplicity;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary View of a single turret pocket, the view being taken substantially along the line 5-5 of FIG. 4, but also including the corresponding portion of the opposed ring plate and rollers;

FIG. 6 is a vertical section taken substantially along the line 66 of FIG. 2; parts being broken away;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary section taken substantially along the line 77 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary section on an enlarged scale taken substantially along the line 8-8 in FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary section taken substantially along the line 9 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a side elevation of one of the two cam assemblies which move the beading rolls toward the beading drum, parts being broken away;

FIG. 11 is a view looking radially inwardly at the first three cam segments of the cam assembly of FIG. 10; and

FIGS. 12, 13 and 14 are sections taken substantially along the lines 12-42, 13-13, and l414, respectively of FIG. 10.

As a preferred and exemplary embodiment of the instant invention, the drawings illustrate a can body beading machine wherein tubular can bodies A, which are circular in cross-section and have their opposite ends flared outwardly to form body flanges, are received in the machine from a vertical gravity chute 20 and received in a feed-in star wheel 22 which is keyed to a cross-shaft 24 which is mounted in bearings 26 secured to the main frame 28 of the machine. The star wheel 22 is driven in time with the other parts of the machine through a spur gear 30 which is secured to the shaft 24 and which is driven from the drive motor 32 of the machine in a manner which will be hereinafter explained.

The drive motor 32 drives the various moving parts of the machine through a drive belt 34 which operates around a large drive pulley 36 which is keyed to a short shaft 38 which is journalled in bearing 40 on the transverse center line of the machine. The rotation of the shaft 38 is transmitted to the main drive shaft 42 of the machine through a pair of spur gears 44, 46 which are respectively keyed to the shafts 38, 42. The drive shaft 42 is disposed behind the shaft 38 and extends transversely across the machine for almost its full width and is journalled in bearings 47.

The can bodies A are fed from the star wheel 22 into a turret which is generally designated by the letter T and which carries the can bodies A through the machine in a predetermined arcuate path of travel while the beads are being formed in them. The turret T comprises a pair of laterally spaced turret bodies 48, 50 which are substantially identical in construction and are spaced transversely from each other. The outer ends of the turret bodies 48, 50 are formed into hollow sleeves 52, 54 which are mounted for rotation in stationary bearings 56, 58 which comprise portions of the main frame 28 of the machine. The inner ends of the turret bodies 48, 50 ride upon and are supported by bearing rollers 60 which are mounted in bearings 62.

The turret bodies 48, 50 are rotated in the same direction and at the same speed by a pair of spur gears 64 keyed to the main drive shaft 42 and meshing with large spur gears 66 on the turret bodies 48, 50 (FIG. 2). A spur gear 67, which is keyed to the sleeve 54 of the turret body 50, meshes with and drives the gear 30 which in turn rotates the star wheel 22.

A guide plate or ring 68 is secured to the inner face of each turret body 48, 50 and is spaced therefrom by a plurality of spacer sleeves 70. Each guide ring 68 has secured to its inner face a series of small plates 72, each of which carries a pair of rollers 74, 76 (see FIGS. 4 and The rollers 74, 76 are mounted on short shafts 78 which at their ends are formed with hexagonal stop shoulders 80. The shaft 78 in turn are mounted on eccentric pins 82 which permit limited adjustment of the rollers 74, 76.

As seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, the plates 72 on the opposed ring plates 68 are mounted in transversely paired alignment, and the rollers 76 on each opposed pair of plates 72 cooperate with the rollers 74 on the succeeding pair of plates 72 to form pockets 84 which receive the can bodies A from the star wheel 22. It will be noted that the plates 72 and rollers 74, 76 are omitted from FIGS. 2, 3 and 8 for the sake of clarity of illustration.

As the can bodies A are fed into the pockets 84, they come into unpressure contact with a large cylindrical bead ing drum 86 which is mounted inwardly of and concentrically with the pockets 84 on a rotating shaft 88 (FIG. 2). The shaft 88 is formed with a stub end 90 which is mounted in a bore 92 formed in the turret body 48. The opposite end of the shaft 88 is formed with an elongated extension 94 which is journalled in bearings 96 formed in the turret body 50 and is provided with an end portion 98 of reduced diameter which projects beyond the end of the turret body 50 and carries a large sprocket 100. A drive chain 102 operates around the sprocket 100 and around a second, small sprocket 104 which is secured to a short shaft 106. The shaft 106 is journalled in bearings 108 and is driven from the main drive shaft 42 of the machine through a pair of meshing spur gears 110, 112. As a result, the beading drum 86 is rotated in a direction which is counter to the direction of rotation of the turret T.

The beading drum 86 is provided with a plurality of transversely spaced beading instrumentalities which in the instant drawings are shown as raised ribs or projections 114. The number of ribs 114 and the spacing between them is of course determined by the ultimately desired beaded configuration of the can bodies A.

As soon as a can body A enters a pocket 84, a pair of opposed beading rolls 116, 118 is inserted into it. The beading rolls 116, 118 are provided with beading instrumentalities, here shown as grooves 120, which, when the rolls 116, 118 are fully inserted, come into opposed relationship to the ribs 114 of the beading drum 86. It will be obvious that the positioning of the grooves 120 and the number of them carried by each roll 116, 118 is again determined by the desired ultimate configuration of the can bodies A, and that in shape they complement the shape of the ribs 114 and co-act therewith to create body beads of the desired depth and width.

As best seen in FIG. 8, the rollers 116, 118 are mounted at the inner end of shafts or spindles 122 which project through openings 123 formed in the ring plates 68 and at their outer ends are journalled in pivot bearings 124. The pivot bearings 124 are formed with pairs of pivot arms 126 which are pivotally mounted and carried at the outer end of shafts 128 which are parallel to but offset from the shafts 122 and are journalled in cylindrical slides 130 (FIGS. 2, 8 and 9) which are slidably mounted in bores 132 formed in the turret bodies 48, 50 and spaced therearound in equiangular relationship. Springs 133 (see FIG. 9) are interposed between the pivot bearings 124 and the slides 130 to maintain the rolls 116, 118 against stop pins 134 in radially outward position so that they enter the can bodies A without interference.

The slides 130 have fastened to their outer ends brackets 135 which carry cam rollers 136. The cam rollers operate in cam grooves 138 which are formed in ring cams 140, one of which is keyed to each stationary bearing 56, 58 of the machine frame 28. As seen in FIGS. 2 and 6, the cam grooves 138 are so shaped that the slides 130, and consequently the heading rollers 116, 118 are in their outermost, retracted position when the cans enter the pockets 84, but begin to move inwardly almost immediately thereafter to their fully inward positions shown in FIGS. 2 and 8. The actual portion of the beading cycle utilized to move the heading rolls 116, 118 inwardly to their inserted positions is clearly indicated in FIG. 6.

The beading rollers 116, 118 are constantly rotated around their own axes at a circumferential speed which is equal to the circumferential speed of the beading drum 86, but in the opposite direction, by a pair of large spur gears 142 which are mounted for rotation around the frame bearings 56, 58 (FIG. 2). Each spur gear 142 is secured to a large sprocket 144 and is rotated in the same direction as the turret T by a chain 146 which operates around the sprocket 144 and a smaller sprocket 148. The sprocket 148 on the left-hand side of the machine, as seen in FIG. 2, is keyed to the short shaft 38, while the sprocket 148 on the right-hand side of the machine is keyed to the short shaft 106.

Continuous rotary motion is imparted to the shafts 128 from the large spur gears 142 through spur gears 150 (FIGS. 2 and 8). One spur gear 150 is keyed to each shaft 128 by a spline 152 which is formed at the outer end of the shaft 128 and slidingly engages within grooves 154 formed in the hub 156 of the spur gear 150.

The spur gears 150 are journalled for rotation in bearings 158 which are formed in ring members 160 which are carried by the turret bodies 48, 50 and are mounted thereon by means of mounting brackets 162 secured to support rods 164 (see FIGS. 2, 6 and 8) which extend transversely from the turret bodies 48, 50 at spaced intervals.

The rotary motion of the shafts 128 (FIG. 8) is transmitted to the shafts 122 and the beading rolls 116, 118 carried thereon by meshing spur gears 166, 168 keyed to the shafts 128, 122, respectively (see FIG. 8).

As soon as the beading rolls 116, 118 are fully in- 5. serted into the can bodies A, they are moved radially inwardly to press the can bodies A against the beading drum 86 to form a plurality of spaced beads B in the bodies A. This movement is effected by a pair of cam assemblies, each of which is generally designated by the number 170, (see FIG. 3) which are disposed in transversely spaced relationship outwardly of the beading drum 86.

Each cam assembly 170 comprises an arcuate cam holder 172 which is provided with a plurality of mounting collars 174 which are carried on a plurality of transversely extending rods 176 and are locked thereto by set screws 178. The ends of the rods 178 are secured in the machine frame 28.

Each arcuate cam holder 172 is provided with an inner and an outer side wall 180, 182 which define a groove 184 which contains a beading cam 186 which comprises a plurality of short, arcuate cam segments 186a (see also FIG. 7) which are of a thickness to fit snugly Within the groove 184 and are held therein by a plurality of L-shaped brackets or clamps 188 which engage beneath shoulders 190 (FIG. 10) formed in the cam segments 186a and are secured to the outer wall 182 of the cam holder 172 by locking bolts 192. Each bracket 188 is radially adjustable via an adjustment bolt 194, it being necessary of course to loosen the locking bolts 192 while adjustment is being made, elongated slots 195 being provided in the brackets 188 to permit such adjustment.

The cam segments 186a are held against the brackets 188 under spring tension through the medium of a plurality of compression springs 196 (see FIGS. 10 and 13) which are disposed in bores 198 formed in the cam segments 186a and are put under adjustable compression by a bolt 200 which presses against a bore cover plate 202. It will be noted that the bolts 192, 194 and 200 which provide for the adjustment of the cam segments 186a are all easily accessible to the machine operator. Wherever necessary, suitable locking nuts are provided to hold the adjustment bolts 194, 200 against inadvertent rotation.

The shafts 122 which carry the beading rolls 116, 118 are provided with cam rollers 204 which are idly mounted thereon by means of roller bearings 206 so that the cam rollers 204 may rotate in a direction opposite to the rotation of the shafts 122. The cam rollers 204 are aligned with the cams 186 when the slide 130 is in its fully inward position, as best seen in FIG. 3. As soon as the beading rolls 116, 118 are fully inserted into the can bodies A, rotation of the turret T brings the cam rollers 204 associated with them into engagement with the cams 186, with the result that the beading rolls 116, 118 are pressed inwardly into engagement with the can bodies A, thereby pressing the bodies A against the heading ribs 114 of the beading drum 86, and causing them to roll along the heading drum 86 and to spin or rotate rapidly on their axes in a direction counter to the direction of rotation of the drum. Because of the rotation of the beading drum 86, the length of rolling contact between the bodies A and the drum 86 is greatly increased over what it would he were the drum stationary.

The inner faces of the cams 186 are eccentric to the center of rotation of the turret T and the heading drum 86, so that as the cam rollers 204 roll along the cams 186, the rollers are gradually pressed inwardly against the pressure of the spring 133 and following an eccentric path of travel which is indicated by the dot and dash line 206 in FIG. 10. The normal, circular path of travel of the cam rollers 204 is indicated by the dotted line 208 in FIG. 10. As a result of this eccentricity, the can bodies A are pressed against the beading ribs 114 of the beading drum 86 and the beads B are formed. These beads B are started shallowly, but are progressively deepened until finally, as the bodies A approach the ends of the cams 186, the full depth of the beads B is obtained, which depth is indicated by the distance X shown in FIG. 10. Due to the described accelerated axial rotation 6 of the can bodies A, the gradual deepening of the beads B thereon may be effected in easy increments without severe working of the body metal or stock.

The spring loading of the cam segments 186a permits each of them to move outwardly and thus prevents damage to the bodies A whenever their side seams are pinched between the heading rolls 116, 118 and the beading drum 86. As seen in FIG. 10, the cam segments 186a are preferably shorter in length than the distance between the cam rollers 204, so that only one roller 204 at a time engages any one cam segment 186a. The adjacent ends of the cam segments 186a are tied together by pins 210 (see FIGS. 10, 11) so that abrupt steps between adjacent segments 186a will not occur whenever one of the segments is forced outwardly. To accommodate the pins 210, the adjacent ends of the cam segments 186a are formed with parallel angled faces 212 so that the segments 186a overlap, each pin 210 being removably secured in a bore 214 formed in one of the overlapping segment ends and engaging against a notch 216 formed in the opposing segment end.

The cam 186 is held against circumferential slippage in the groove 184 by a stop sleeve 218 which spans the. groove 184 and is mounted on a pin 220.

As the rotation of the turret causes the cam rollers 204 to ride off the ends of the cams 186, the springs 133 move the beading rollers 116, 118 radially outwardly out of engagement with the beaded can bodies A. The cams 140 then move the slides outwardly, thereby withdrawing the beading rollers 116, 118 from the can bodies A to the position shown at the bottom of FIG. 2. During this time, the bodies A are held in the pockets 84 by an arcuate guide bar 222.

As soon as the rollers 116, 118 have been withdrawn, the can bodies A are stripped from the turret pockets 84 by a fixedly mounted stripper 224 and are discharged into a discharge runway 226 which delivers them to a subsequent machine in the can manufacturing line.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

We claim:

1. A can body beading machine comprising a stationary frame, a beading drum disposed within said frame and mounted for rotation relative thereto, means for axially rotating said drum at a predetermined peripheral speed, a rotatable turret mounted on said frame and having circumferentially spaced can body holding pockets enclosing said drum, means for rotating said turret in a direction counter to the direction of rotation of said drum to revolve said can holding pockets thereabout, means for feeding can bodies successively into said pockets, a pair of beading rolls movably mounted on said turret on opposite sides of each of said pockets, means for inserting said beading rolls into opposite ends of said can bodies, means for rotating said beading rolls at said peripheral speed in a direction counter to the direction of rotation of said beading drum, and cam means mounted on said frame radially outwardly of said beading rolls for progressively moving said beading rolls radially inwardly against the inner sides of said can bodies to press said bodies against the exterior surface of said beading drum to form beads in said can bodies.

2. The machine of claim 1 wherein said beading rolls are carried by rotatable sliding shafts pivotally mounted on parallel rotatable shafts to permit radial movement towards and away from said beading drum, means for driving said parallel shafts, and wherein gear means are provided to transmit rotation of said parallel shafts to said sliding shafts to rotate said beading rolls.

3. A can body beading machine comprising a stationary frame, a rotatable turret having a tubular sleeve journaled in said frame, an annular series of circumferentially spaced can body holding pockets in said turret, a beading drum disposed radially inwardly of said annular series of pockets and rotatably journaled within said turret sleeve, means for rotating said beading drum in one direction at a predetermined peripheral speed, means for rotating said turret to revolve said can holding pockets about said drum, means for feeding can bodies successively into said pockets, a pair of beading rolls movably mounted on said turret on opposite sides of each of said pockets, means for inserting said beading rolls into opposite ends of said can bodies, means for rotating said beading rolls at said peripheral speed in a direction counter to the rotation of said'beading drum, and cam means for progressively moving said beading rolls radially inwardly against the inner sides of said can bodies to press said bodies against the exterior surface of said beading drum, whereby as the can bodies are rolled between the counter-rotating beading rolls and the beading drum beads are formed in said can bodies.

4. The machine of claim 3, wherein said beading drum is provided with a member extending from said drum and projecting outwardly from said turret sleeve, and said drum rotating means is connected to the projecting end of said drum member.

5. The machine of claim 2 wherein said sliding shafts are provided with cam rollers engageable with said cam means to move said sliding shafts inwardly toward said beading drum.

6. The machine of claim 1 wherein said cam means comprise individual adjustably and yieldably mounted cam segments.

7. The machine of claim 6 wherein the adjacent ends of said cam segments are slidably connected to maintain a smooth cam face.

8. The machine of claim 7 wherein the length of each individual cam segment is less than the arcuate distance between successive cam rollers so that only one cam roller at a time may engage any given cam segment.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,424,581 Peters July 29, 1947 2,686,551 Laxo Aug. 17, 1954 2,741,292 Butters Apr. 10, 1956 2,793,671 Evans May 28, 1957 2,928,454 Laxo Mar. 15, 1960 

